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"Fortunately, we played a cup (competition) called the Buganda Cup, and there was Kitende; I said this was my time to show them who I was. We thrashed them 4-0," Onyango added.
Former Uganda Cranes captain and legend Dennis Masinde Onyango is arguably the most successful footballer the country has ever seen.
His career has been a thing of glitter, winning multiple team and individual accolades both in Uganda and on the international stage.
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However, starting out as a budding goalkeeper, it wasn't rosy for the Mamelodi Sundowns custodian.
Onyango recalls getting rejected by current schools football giants, St. Mary's Secondary School, Kitende, who were then just getting started within the sports circles.
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08:16 - 05.02.2024
Dennis Onyango: Why legendary goalkeeper failed to finish his university studies at MUBS
While the Mamelodi Sundowns custodian was keen on pursuing the books, his top priority was to chase his dream as a professional footballer, and nothing was about to stand in his way.
"My first school was St. Mary’s Kitende, and it was a new school then around 2002," Onyango revealed in an interview with NBS.
"They were more focused on quality players, and I went to them. They did not like me by then. I wanted the school but the coach was not interested in me," he disclosed.
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10:12 - 28.11.2023
Dennis Onyango's advice to Ugandan players ahead of the 2027 home AFCON
And to Onyango, the players must perform at their best in the competitions leading to the grand edition if Uganda is to assert a grip on the continent.
"When I was rejected at St. Mary’s Kitende, I said let me go to another school where I will be appreciated, and I went to Kampala Citizen."
"Fortunately, we played a cup (competition) called the Buganda Cup, and there was Kitende; I said this was my time to show them who I was. We thrashed them 4-0," Onyango added.
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10:55 - 05.02.2024
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin coming to St. Marys Stadium Kitende
Meanwhile, for the friendly match at Kitende, Ceferin will captain the visiting team from Slovenia.
From there, he played for Nsambya and SC Villa, which he left to join St. George in Ethiopia in 2005, for a stint that lasted for a year before joining Supersport United in South Africa.
Onyango has gone on to establish and stamp himself as one of the most decorated players on the continent.
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09:22 - 05.02.2024
Jackson Mayanja extends excellent run in Rwanda
At the time of Mayanja's appointment, Sunrise sat at the base with six defeats in eight games but have since managed significant leaps.
Among the milestones Onyango has reached include a CAF Champions League, a CAF Super Cup, an African Super League, 10 PSLs, and three Nedbank Cups, among a host more.
In 2016, he was named the continent's Player of the Year based in Africa as a Sundowns player.
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